65A - JAIL REUSE STUDY - Laserfiche WebLink

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Santa Ana City Jail Reuse Feasibility Study `— Five Facility Reuse Options Evaluated by Consultant Team I � I • Jail Use: Includes the continual operational use of the Type II Jail facility as a i f temporary holding facility which can only detain individuals up to 24 hours. i ■ Jall Use: Includes expanded rehabilitative services including transitional community reentry treatment programs. j General Commercial OfFce Use: Includes office complex with individual offices / jI staff work stations, public lobby / restrooms, staff lounge and other ancillary spaces. 1 ■ OtherInstitutional Use: Includes homeless shelter housing with supportive services space. ■ Commercial Data Center Use., Includes development of data center with support i space for specialized automated equipment and related required staff offices and I other dedicated areas. In order to provide background information and broader perspective on the potential for converting detention facilities for other reuses, the consultant team conducted a literature review and search to identify other local jurisdictions throughout the nation that have investigated alternative options or have closed a detention facility and converted the building for other functions. Lower crime rates and reduced sentence terms for some conviction offenses in recent years have caused other cities and counties to consider alternative options for reuse of their community's jail detention facility. Ajail's restricted and self- contained design can make it an ideal candidate for the right reuse plan. For example, according to Nicole Porter, Director of Advocacy for the National Sentencing Project which compiles an annual report on prison closures, "reuse is a new territory in corrections."' Catherine Chan, an architect also specializing in prisons, jails, and courts, notes that "because these facilities are built to run around the clock, the building features make it convenient for many types of public and communal use."z While there are limited numbers of jurisdictions which have or will shortly modify their local jail for other reuses, there are some examples from which Santa Ana can draw parallels with. The following four jurisdictions are examples of what is or has occurred nation-wide with respect to other jail conversion projects: Nation-wide Examples of Jail Reuse Conversion Projects 1. Gainesville, Florida Correctional Institution: Florida's Gainesville Correctional Institution converted empty bed space at their Jail into a homeless shelter in early 2014 after the detention facility closed in March 2012. The facility sits on 38 acres of land with 15 buildings with long-term plans for a medical clinic, job training center, services for homeless veterans, garden, arts and cultural center, and space to eventually house the local Salvation Army's meal services and social programs. One million dollars in renovations began in one dormitory, the kitchen, library, and laundry buildings to feed the homeless and provide space to wash and store clothing. Men and women live in separate dormitories filled with double bunk beds. Curtains were added to the showers that faced a large open room. The restrooms have remained dormitory style as they 57 65A-64